This ambitious public art initiative will feature a series of permanent murals installed across Ohio, each telling a place-based story connected to the enduring legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. While the pilots’ courage in the skies remains central, this project also lifts up the engineers, mechanics, women, allies, and community members whose contributions were essential to one of the most extraordinary chapters in American history.

Through these murals, communities in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toledo will engage with deeply personal narratives that reflect their own local connections to the Tuskegee experience. Installed on a staggered timeline and completed this Summer, the murals will serve as both a tribute for America’s 250th Anniversary and a powerful catalyst for statewide dialogue.

Each site will include an interpretive plaque and QR code linking viewers to the broader Ohio initiative, allowing audiences to explore multiple stories and perspectives through a shared digital gateway. The result is a connected, living archive of history told through art, community, and place.

At the heart of this project are five exceptional artists, selected for their artistic excellence and their commitment to storytelling, education, and community engagement.

Meet the Artists

Jeni Jenkins, Cincinnati

Cincinnati-based artist, designer, and creative director Jeni Jenkins works at the intersection of liberation, community storytelling, and reclaimed narratives. Through her studio, Renegade Babe, she creates murals, prints, and visual identities that affirm Black and brown communities, feminist lineage, and collective resilience.

Her practice blends illustration, printmaking, and social practice, emphasizing collaboration and shared authorship. For more than a decade, Jenkins has partnered with neighborhood organizations, grassroots movements, and cultural institutions to build visual languages grounded in belonging and empowerment.

Known for bold color, symbolic botanical forms, and strong graphic composition, Jeni approaches art as a bridge, connecting personal story, public space, and collective imagination. Her work within the Skyward project reinforces the importance of beauty as a tool for cultural memory and connection.

Javarri Lewis, Cincinnati

Cincinnati-based artist Javarri Lewis brings a deep commitment to community engagement through art that spans large-scale murals, digital projects, and immersive public events. Drawing inspiration from Cincinnati’s layered history and diverse narratives, his work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and rediscover the connections that bind shared experience.

Javarri’s practice is ever-evolving, rooted in the belief that art is a powerful vehicle for dialogue, unity, and cultural celebration. His contribution to the Skyward project reflects a thoughtful, place-based approach, one that honors legacy while encouraging conversation in the present.

Jerome T. White, Cleveland

Cleveland-based artist and educator Jerome T. White is known for visual narratives that blend history, culture, and spiritual depth. A member of the Cleveland Heights High School Hall of Fame and a graduate of Baldwin Wallace College, Jerome also holds a master’s degree in art education from Case Western Reserve University.

Inspired by masters such as Charles White and Dr. John Biggers, his paintings are rich with texture, symbolism, and emotional gravity. Themes of music, family, sports, and social justice recur throughout his work, reflecting both personal experience and collective memory.

Beyond the canvas, Jerome is a dedicated community muralist and arts educator. Through programs like Voices of Cleveland, Ingenuity, and Mural My Neighborhood, he has worked extensively with urban youth. He has also completed notable murals at Cleveland’s historic League Park and across the city. As a children’s book author and illustrator, Jerome continues his mission to inspire across generations through storytelling and art.

Aaron D. Williams, Cleveland

Also known as Aawful Aaron, Aaron D. Williams is a groundbreaking contemporary artist whose work pushes the boundaries of traditional visual art. His multidisciplinary practice fuses painting, music, film, and fashion, creating dynamic platforms for cultural dialogue and community engagement.

As founder of the Young Cleveland Renaissance artist collective, Williams has played a transformative role in bridging subcultures and contemporary art scenes within Cleveland. His innovative approach has garnered widespread recognition, including a landmark solo exhibition at MoCA Cleveland and installations at the Cleveland Public Library and The Riffe Gallery.

Williams’ participation in the Skyward project brings an experimental, future-forward perspective to the historical narrative, ensuring that the Tuskegee legacy continues to evolve in conversation with new generations.

Allan Lunda, Akron

Allan Lunda is a veteran and self-taught portrait artist born, raised, and based in Akron, Ohio. He is the son of Edward R. Lunda, a Tuskegee Airman and Congressional Gold Medal recipient.

For Allan, portraiture is about perspective and presence, using composition and focal points to capture the essence of an individual. His mural for this project will be dedicated to his father, a disciplined and hardworking man he proudly calls his hero. Allan recalls watching his father march in downtown parades, moments that shaped his understanding of pride, service, and legacy.

This mural represents a deeply personal tribute and a powerful intergenerational bridge, honoring both a family legacy and a national one.

Join us in celebrating the artists, the stories, and the communities that make this project possible. Together, we can foster connection, inspire unity, and create a lasting tribute to Ohio’s aviation history and the enduring impact of the Tuskegee Airmen.